Causes Of Inflamed Joints

There are numerous causes of inflamed joints today. It is important to know what they are so that you can understand what may be wrong with your body. Of course, you will want to get a proper diagnosis from your doctor but in the meantime some of the things that may be causing your inflamed joints include:

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) will cause inflammation in your joints and their surrounding tissue. It can also cause fatigue, loss of appetite, morning stiffness that lasts for more than an hour, widespread aching throughout your muscles and overall weakness. The main ways in which RA is treated is via medication, surgery and physical therapy.

Gout also causes inflamed joints but it will also cause severe pain in them as well. An attack will come on suddenly, last five to ten days then disappear. It is caused by a high amount of uric acid in your blood, which will then crystallize in your big toe, heel, ankle, hand, wrist or elbow. Whenever this happens you will have warmth, intolerable pain, swelling and tenderness in this joint. As the attack subsides the area around the joint will peel and become itchy. Treatment focuses on relieving pain and inflammation while maintaining normal uric acid levels within the body.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is actually the most common cause of inflamed joints. Symptoms include deep aching pain that is only relieved by rest, pain that is worse whenever you are active, increased pain whenever the weather is humid or wet, swelling in the joints, limited movement and weakness in the muscles around the joints. The most common treatments for OA include heat and cold applications, medication, a healthy diet, plenty of rest, braces and sometimes even surgery.

Lyme Disease is an infection that is transmitted via tick bites. Symptoms include rash, flu-like symptoms, inflamed joint pain that travels throughout your body’s various joints and neurological problems. Treatment will begin with 21 days of Amoxicillin (an oral antibiotic) unless your nervous system is affected or the Lyme Disease is considered to be severe in which case an intravenous antibiotic must be given for a period of two weeks to a month. If there are any eye abnormalities oral Corticosteroids will be given.